Research plays a pivotal at Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, with over 100 active studies in a variety of areas, from cerebral palsy to stroke to traumatic brain injury. As the home of Harvard Medical School's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding offers a unique convergence of research, teaching and clinical care, enabling physicians to collaborate closely with researchers to create innovative treatment approaches.

One such effort is current research to improve motor recovery in patients with neurological deficits undergoing rehabilitation being conducted at Spaulding Boston. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), shown here, is a non-invasive cortical brain stimulation technique which has been shown to enhance motor function after stroke.

Led by Dr. Paolo Bonato and Dr. Felipe Fregni, they hypothesize that pairing tDCS with functional task training, along with another neuromodulation device called the Armeo (a hand-motion sensorized glove to track hand motion, tailored for use by neurological patients developed at Spaulding's Motion Analysis Lab in partnership with MIT and Hocoma), will result in enhanced motor recovery in TBI and stroke survivors. Their lab has been awarded a CIMIT grant and is conducting a study in the TBI population.

The use of technology will continue to play an expanding role in rehabilitation, as more information is available about the optimal timing, duration and intensity of certain therapies, and as patients and families come to expect it as an integral part of today's society.

There are many other types of technologies used throughout Spaulding Network facilities to enhance the quality of rehabilitation care as well as to improve patient outcomes. The use of technology is an important component of the rehabilitation program and often differentiates Spaulding from other rehabilitation hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.

Some of the technologies provided throughout SRN include:

- Robot-Aided Rehabilitation (e.g. Armeo, Lokomat)

- Partial Body Weight Supported Treadmill (e.g. Litegait)- provides assistance with walking movements in gait-impaired patients

- Erigo: combines the use of a tilt table with weight bearing and range of motion

- Pressure Mapping Technology- visually assesses pressure patterns to reduce skin breakdown and develop proper seating systems

- Motomed Restorative Therapies- gently moves arms or legs passively, assistive or actively

- Therapeutic Electrical Stimulation (e.g. Bioness L30, H200, VitalStim)- stimulates muscles in conjunction with functional activity

- Integration of Adaptive Video Games (e.g. IREX, Wiihab)- provides real-time visual and auditory feedback for motor task training

- Pressalit Systems- functional training environments that are adapted to patients? specific needs (e.g. toilet, sink or shower heights and widths)

For more information about rehabilitation technology or Spaulding research programs, please contact (617) 573-2770.